"Monsters University.": A look back at how Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) become scaring buddies. This prequel approach is sweet, colorful and generally funny, but it lacks the emotional tug of the original film. It was far more fun, touching and interesting to watch Mike and Sully trying to keep baby Boo from harm than it is to watch them find their place on campus. Robert L. Baird's script focuses on Mike's efforts to be accepted. While there are touching moments, it just doesn't have that tug of emotion that stays with a viewer long after the last monster has left the building. The film explodes with monsters. "Monsters, Inc." had a limited number of creatures, because that's all the computers could handle. Now, the campus is loaded with hundreds of creatures, all very different. Even the backgrounds have a richer and deeper tone. This movie's loaded with enough action and animated fun that it will keep young viewers amused. Disappointing is the fact that after so many years, the story doesn't live up to the technology.

"R.I.P.D.":Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds play cops dispatched to protect the living from those who refuse to move peacefully into the afterlife. "R.I.P.D." is DOA. This is nothing more than a cheap, lifeless knockoff of "Men In Black." There are the recently dead, instead of aliens. And a cantankerous Jeff Bridges, instead of Tommy Lee Jones. Director Robert Schwentke obviously knew he had little to work with. He loads the movie with odd camera tricks, such as shooting scenes from weird angles and having the camera make odd treks, to finally get to the scene. If only the story had been as different as some of his camera work, the film would have shown some signs of life.

Also new on DVD:

"Money in the Bank Anthology"; "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist"; "Masters of Money"; "Bounty Killer"; "Margarita"; "Coming Home for Christmas"; "Secret World of Santa Claus"; "Line of Duty Series 1"; "Agatha Christie's Poirot Series 9"; "American Experience: War of the Worlds"; "Family Tree: The Complete First Season"; "Free Samples"; "Damages: The Complete Series"; "Little Brother, Big Trouble - A Christmas Adventure"; "The Beauty and the Devil"; "The Show Queen"; "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Complete Collection."